If you’re called by someone (claiming to be from your bank, the police or a reputable company) who wants you to divulge personal information about yourself or your bank account, or asks you to hand over bank cards or cash, it could be a so-called ‘vishing’ scam – a term that comes from combining ‘voice’ and ‘phishing’.

Fraudsters may trick you over the phone, others might ask you to meet them in person, or even send a courier to your home to pick up bank cards. For example, a call out of the blue alerts you to possible fraud on your account. The caller claims to be a police officer or from your bank’s fraud prevention department. They tell you local bank staff are being investigated as part of a suspected fraud and, to keep your account safe, you must withdraw cash and then meet the alleged fraud prevention officer in person to hand it over. In other cases, you may instead be advised that to prevent the fraud, a courier has been sent to your home to pick up your bank cards for safekeeping – fraudsters then make payments with your card.

Or you receive an unexpected call about a refund or problem with your payment card. To sort it, they ask you to confirm your payment and bank account details. You share these and the fraudsters take payments from your account.

What you should do

Put the phone down when they ask for your payment or bank account details. Don’t share this information over the phone.

If you accidentally share your details, call your bank immediately. You should use a different phone to the one they called you on. This is because vishing fraudsters can intercept your outgoing calls, even after you’ve ended the fraudulent call – so they could pretend to be your bank, for example, when you try to report them. The number to call should be listed on the back of your payment card.

How to spot smishing text messages

Received a text message from a number you don’t recognise? Or from a company asking you to do something? It could be a ‘smishing’ scam. The name might sound silly, but it’s a real threat.

The text contains a link to a website and asks you to click through, or it asks you to call a number you don’t recognise.

When you click or call, you’re asked to provide personal information, such as your bank account password.

What you should do

Don’t click on any links, and check any numbers with your bank.

If the number isn’t genuine, delete the text message from your phone.

Protect yourself on social media

Fraudsters have been known to hack social media accounts and impersonate the account owners. Once in, they make contact with the owner’s friends and family, and convince them to part with their money or bank details by pulling on their heartstrings. Here’s how it could happen to you:

You’re contacted by someone you know who suddenly and desperately needs money.

They say they’ve recently had an accident and need to pay the hospital fees.

They ask you to transfer money to an account, or to share your bank details to cover the costs.

What you should do

Always check that an urgent message hasn’t come from a hacked account. Speak to the real person directly to see if their request is genuine, because it could be a fraudster impersonating them.